How Soon Is Now?
by Devil Woman
Summary: This takes place during the events of "Four Superheroes and a Tsarevna". Maria invites Bruce and the now six year old Natasha out to dinner with an old friend of hers and get an eye opener when an unexpected event causes her to reevaluate her misconceptions about the Hulk.


How Soon Is Now?

By Devil Woman

DISCLAIMER: All characters are copyrighted by Disney/Marvel. I own nothing.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I originally wanted to include this as a bonus side story for "Four Superheroes and a Tsarevna", but it ended up ballooning into a full story and I decided to publish it on its own. I do recommend reading the before mentioned story since it does mention a few things from it. Read and Review!

* * *

_You can do this. It's only a dinner date with friends._

Maria kept saying that mantra over and over again before heading in the tower. She wasn't sure how Bruce was going to react. After all, when he did over react to anything…well, let's just say Mr. Green stopped by to pay a visit.

Maria Hill was one of the many agents for SHIELD that worked closely with the Avengers. It should have come to no surprise for her that the scientist would be weary of ever going out in public due to his condition. That would give anyone with the ability to become a giant, green beast of destruction to think twice about interacting with people. If that was true for him, then why was Maria so nervous? Surely she didn't let her nerves get the better of her, but this time was different…

Ever since Natasha Romanoff was accidently turned back into a six year old via a defective teleporter, Maria was assigned to act as a support of sorts for Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk. Having grown close to the Bruce over the last few months, Maria saw him as a friend and nothing more. But it seemed as of late her feelings toward him where becoming conflicted. The agent started to probe on this development once more.

_Am I…No, no! Stop it Maria! You're acting like a fool, pull yourself together!_

Shaking all doubt from her mind, she made her way to the living quarters of the tower the super hero team called home. Maria entered the tower and saw Steve, Clint and the now juvenile Natasha sitting on the living room floor playing a game of Yahtzee.

"Hello everyone." She greeted the group.

"Hi, Miss Maria!" Natasha replied. "You wanna play Yahtzee with us?"

"No thank you, sweetie. Steve, Clint, is Bruce available? I need to speak with him."

"He's in the lab as always with Tony." Steve told her.

"When isn't he not in that lab?" Maria joked and Steve chuckled.

"You got me." Clint said as he rolled the dice. After seeing his hand, the archer grinned with glee. "Booyah! Yahtzee!" he cheered, throwing his hands up in the air.

"Booyah!" Natasha mimicked Clint and also threw her hands up as well.

Steve could only shake his head. "I really wish you didn't teach Natasha that phrase…" he said with distain.

Maria smiled at the scene and made her way to the lab. She knocked on the door. "Hello? Anyone home?" Bruce looked up from his notes and gave the agent a warm smile. "Maria, it's good to see you."

Tony saw her as well. "So, Miss Hill has decided to grace us with her presence. What can we do for you today?"

"Actually, I'm here to see Bruce, Tony. I was wondering if you could give us a moment alone, then I'll be on my way and out of your hair."

Tony sent Bruce a grin. "Gonna plan a date?" Bruce just grimaced. "Why is it always about trying to get Maria and me on dates with you?"

"I blame my inner romantic." The billionaire said as he made his way out of the lab.

"And no ease dropping either!" Maria told Tony, who pouted. "But I won't have anything for the gossip column in the paper." He teased. Bruce and Maria eyed him and Tony finally left the two alone.

"I swear he just likes to see us squirm…" Bruce said to Maria with slight annoyance.

"More you than me. But Tony was right about the whole date thing." Maria hesitantly said.

Bruce's eyes widened with surprise. "Really? A date…with me?"

"Yes. Er, not really a date…OK, it is a date but let me explain." Maria hated herself for acting so flustered, but she might as well lay all of her cards out on the table. "The other day, I got a phone call from an old friend of mine back when I was in the service. Her name is Adalyn and the two of us kept in touch after we both left the force. Well, come to find out, she's in town for the next couple of days visiting her husband's family and wants to meet up with me for dinner. And I said yes."

"And how does this involve me, if I even really need to ask." Bruce said with a ting of displeasure in his voice.

"No, no! It's not like that! She knows I'm not married or dating anyone right now. I just feel…uncomfortable going by myself."

Bruce saw the look of worry on Maria's face. "Why would you feel uncomfortable going by yourself to see your friend and her family?"

He had always known Maria to be a grounded individual; give her the most chaotic situation and the agent wouldn't even budge. But now seeing her like this was something new for the scientist. It was a situation that not even Maria was sure how to handle.

"I guess its insecurity. Maybe I'm secretly jealous, I don't know." Maria said, averting her eyes for a quick second, but then regained her composure (she didn't want Bruce to see her being weak). "She has a kid around Natasha's age."

"You want to drag Natasha out too?" Bruce was not keen on the idea. He didn't really want the little girl to get wrapped up in whatever Maria was planning. However, Bruce secretly wanted it just to be the two of them; the scientist didn't mind watching over Natasha, but every now and then he wanted to be in the company of adults.

"It'll be good for her. She really hasn't been around kids her own age ever since the accident and I know Adalyn's son will like her."

She did have point. Natasha could really use this experience to get a chance to socialize with someone in her current state. Bruce eyed Maria. "Does your friend know you'll be bringing the both of us along with you?"

"Well…" Maria hadn't exactly thought out her proposed plan thoroughly. The agent's reluctance to answer made Bruce shake his head in disgust.

"Bruce. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot like this. I'm not being a good friend right now. So, if you say no, I understand." Maria said in guilt.

He remained silent. Maria wondered what he was thinking; his face was static and had no emotion. He sighed and looked at her.

"I'll go, and so will Natasha."

"You will?!" Maria didn't think he respond so quickly.

Bruce nodded. "Over the last few months, we've gotten to know each other well. You've been more than supportive over not only me, but for Natasha as well. I mean, the day she found out I was the monster that terrified her…I couldn't have convinced her to accept him on my own without your help, Maria."

He was right. Maria was there in helping the little girl understand that the Hulk wasn't the monster she portrayed him to be. If only Maria though that as well. She still didn't fully trust Bruce's other self. The way that beast sneered at her the last time he made himself known…it made Maria feel nervous and afraid.

"I don't know how to repay you." She said to Bruce.

"The next time I need twenty bucks or something of that nature, I'll be sure to ask." He quipped. Maria gave him a disapproving glare, but eased her scowl once the scientist let out a small chuckle and smile to her. She smiled back at him in appreciation of his dry humor.

The two suddenly heard the sound of something falling to the floor. Bruce and Maria turned around and saw that it had been Tony who caused the noise. He had pressed himself against doorway listening and in doing so knocked over a large science textbook that was on the shelf near him. He smiled and waved sheepishly at the two.

"What did I tell you about ease dropping?" Maria crossed her arms over her chest with a judgmental look on her face.

"I knew it! Bruce and Maria are going on a double date!" Tony stated matter-of-factly. "And you get bonus points for bringing a kid too!"

"For the last time Tony, it's not a date." Bruce reiterated in frustration.

"Don't' care, moving on." He said and went back to his work bench.

"You're starting to get into Creeper Coulson territory." Maria told the billionaire.

"Hey! Unlike him, I'm only looking out for my best friend, not trying to get his autograph." Tony said as he started to tinker at his scrap of metal.

Maria just rolled her eyes. "If only I had a spray bottle filled with water…" she said, to which Tony squinted his eyes at her with irritation. Bruce couldn't help but laugh at the agent's comment. "Don't you start getting any ideas now." Tony said to Bruce, pointing at him with an angry finger.

"I'll call you later to let you know the time and place." Maria told Bruce and left.

The scientist then looked over at Tony. "For the record, I thought it was rather sweet of Maria to invite me and Natasha out for dinner. It'll be nice to do something normal for once."

"I always keep telling you that, Bruce. You need to get out more." Tony then looked up from his work and directly at his friend. "I really hate seeing you sulk about the lab and tower. I know you've been off the grid for years because of your condition…but it's nice to see that not only have you've gotten over your 'woe is me' stupor, you also have made another friend, beside me of course."

While Bruce appreciated Tony's friendship, he was right about Maria. To many people, Maria Hill was a hard person to get along with; she seemed cold and very by the books when you first met her. But now that Bruce had gotten to know her, he saw that the agent did care about those close to her. This was especially true whenever Bruce couldn't control the Other Guy. Maria did admit to Bruce that she still saw the Hulk as more of a menace than an ally. If only Bruce could somehow let the green guy know that Maria was not as studious as she let on, then perhaps…

"Thank you, Tony. I'm truly grateful for your friendship."

"Any time, Buddy. Now, about that dinner…I can recommend some nice suggestions about what you should wear. As you know, clothes make the man, Bruce." Tony flashed a wide tooth grin of confidence.

_Typical Tony. He means well, but it always comes back to him._ Bruce thought to himself.

* * *

It was the night of the dinner. Bruce was busy getting Natasha ready. When he told the little girl how Maria had invited them to dinner with the agent's friends and their son Ty, Natasha grew nervous.

"But he's a boy. He might not like me 'cause I'm a girl."

"You shouldn't think like that. From what Miss Maria told me about Ty, he seems like a very friendly boy. I bet once you get to know him, Ty will like you regardless."

The six year old smiled. "You're right Bruce. I bet Ty is nice."

The doorbell rang and Bruce went to go answer it. Maria greeted him and stepped inside. Bruce saw how wonderful the agent was dressed. She wore black dress pants with a three quarter length sweater with a mock Oxford collar sewn around the neckline and simple black flats.

"You look nice." He complimented to Maria.

"Thank you and you as well." Maria liked how handsome Bruce wore his medium-dark khakis and his trademark button up shirt in royal purple.

"Natasha's in the other room. I'll go get her." He said. When Bruce brought out the youngster, Maria couldn't help seeing how adorable the former adult looked. Natasha had on a simple yellow dress with a black cardigan on over it and dark brown slip-on shoes with white socks.

"Natasha, you look positively sweet."

"Thank you Miss Maria."

"So." Maria said to Bruce and took a calming breath. "Ready?"

He nodded and the trio went to the car and drove to the restaurant where they were meeting up with Maria's friends.

The place Maria picked to visit Adalyn and her family was a cozy casual-style Italian eatery. When the agent introduced Adalyn, her husband Marcus and their son Ty to Bruce and Natasha, the couple immediately warmed up to the scientist and child.

"I knew Maria worked for SHIELD, but I would have never guessed she worked alongside the great Dr. Banner." Adalyn said to Bruce. "I remember reading about your work in chemical engineering awhile back. Very fascinating!"

"Thank you." Bruce said, humbled by the praise Adalyn was giving him.

"Hope Maria isn't too much of a pain to you, Bruce. She was always been the monkey on my back about completing even the most inane tasks." Adalyn said, making a jab at the agent's strict ways.

Maria blushed with embarrassment. "I wasn't that much of a stick in the mud." She said to her friend.

"Maria and I get along just fine. It's Fury you have to worry about from time to time." Bruce said, hoping to ease Maria's conscience.

"True, but at least I have a sense of humor."

"Aside from your boss, tell me what it's like dealing with Tony Stark. I heard he can be quite a handful." Marcus asked the scientist.

"Tony, he's…well, he is a pain to deal with, for sure. But I can say with the most sincerity that he is one of the most caring people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing." Bruce explained to Marcus. "For a while, I had hit a rough patch in my life and Tony was there with a helping hand and got me back on my feet."

"Huh. Never would have guess Stark was that kind of man; he's always has this snarky attitude whenever he's in public. Guess the man knows how to play his cards right." Marcus said and nodded. "I can tell that you have a great deal with respect for Tony."

Bruce had to stretch the truth, but what he had told Marcus about Tony was honest. As for Natasha, she and Ty got along just fine. The little boy had pulled out his action figure of the Hulk (Bruce cracked an ironic smile) and showed it to the little girl.

"The Hulk's my favorite! He smashes all the buildings. Who's your favorite Avenger, Natasha?" Ty asked.

Natasha asked Maria to pull out her Iron Man action figure from her purse. She did and handed the toy to her.

"Iron Man. Mr. Tony gave me this as a gift one day." Natasha beamed with pride as she showed off her action figure to Ty.

"Why's he wearing a doll hat and apron?

"Cause he's Iron Man. He can wear whatever he wants." The four adults began to laugh over the answer Natasha gave.

"Mr. Tony doesn't mind that Natasha dressed him up. In fact, he thought it was rather nice of her to give him a new outfit." Bruce explained to the little boy.

"Wow! Your dad's so cool that he knows Iron Man!" Ty exclaimed to Natasha.

Bruce gave Maria a side glance. She had told Adalyn that Bruce was Natasha's foster parent as a back story for when Adalyn or Marcus got too nosy. Still, Bruce found his role as pretend parent a little disconcerting. The scientist felt he would make a terrible father, especially since he was in a constant battle with the Other Guy. Maria sent a comforting smile to Bruce.

"You're doing great as a parent, Bruce." She said and eased his worries.

_Someday, I won't have to pretend…but who knows._ Bruce mused to himself.

Dinner arrived and the group was busy enjoying their meal. Maria's worries over how the evening was going where put to rest. She saw Bruce acting, well…like a normal man who enjoyed the company of others. He was laughing, smiling and exchanging stories with Adalyn and Marcus about life and everything in between. By watching him converse, the agent would have never guess that this was the same man who could turn into a giant green brute at the drop of a hat. Maria was also glad to see Natasha enjoy the company of Ty. The two children where giggling and playing with one another's toys, clearly enjoying the pretend battle they had made up.

At that moment, Maria had a revelation: The adolescent Natasha was like the daughter she might have one day. Bruce was like the husband she could marry one day too. Maria realized that this is what it felt like to have a family of her own. The agent smiled quietly to herself. Just like Bruce, she felt that she wasn't good enough to be a parent, but maybe in the future that might change…For now, this was the closest (and near perfect) representation Maria had. Bruce noticed the subdued look on the agent's face.

"You OK?"

Maria snapped back to reality and noticed Bruce's puzzling expression.

"Oh, yes. I'm fine Bruce." She said, still in a mellow voice. Maria knew she didn't convince him. "We'll talk about it later." She told Bruce, who nodded.

Meanwhile, Ty and Natasha where busy coloring their placements with the crayons the hostess provided for them. Natasha was scribbling away so feverishly that she didn't notice that she had knocked over her cup of pink lemonade. The drink spilled across the table and right into Bruce's lap.

"Natasha!" he cried as the ice cold liquid saturated his pants.

"I'm sorry, Bruce." She said and handed him her napkin.

Maria grabbed some more napkins and mopped up the mess with the help of Adalyn and Marcus. Bruce excused himself and went to the men's restroom to clean himself up. As the waitress came over and cleaned up the table, Natasha looked hurt.

"I hope Bruce isn't mad at me, Miss Maria. It was an accident."

"I'm sure he knows it was, sweetie." Maria comforted the little girl, who looked up at the agent. She gave her a small smile. "You know how to make everything better."

Maria nodded and smiled back, glad to see Natasha not be distraught anymore. All of sudden, a large group of men with guns rushed into the restaurant and shouted for everyone to get down. Promptly doing so, Maria and her party where on the floor, huddled close to their table in fear. She began to worry about Bruce; he must have heard the commotion while in the restroom. _If he's smart, he'll stay put._ Maria told herself as she watched the men circle around the dining area.

"Everyone who has anything valuable, place it on the table, NOW!" the leader of the gang commanded. As the patrons where placing jewelry, cash and other items on their tables, Adalyn and Marcus hesitated.

"Do as they say." Maria hoarsely whispered to them.

"We don't have anything of value." Adalyn stated.

"Just throw your wallet on the table. That should be enough." Maria said and tossed her wallet from her purse on the table. She then tucked her purse far in the corner of their booth.

"Ty, make sure they don't see your mom's purse." Maria told the scared little boy. He nodded, frightened but did has Maria instructed. Natasha was just as scared and held Ty's hand. "I'm scared too. Miss Maria will get us out of this." She said, trying to comfort him.

The two children gripped hands and huddled next to each other as the thugs came to their table. One of the men sneered at the wallets and counted the pitiful amount of cash inside of them.

"Junk! You got anything else?" the leader asked Maria.

"We have nothing else." The agent said with a poker face as she stood her ground.

The lead thug looked at Adalyn and Marcus, trembling nervously. Right behind them he saw Ty and Natasha. The man eyed the girl and snatched her. Several gasps from the crowd (including Adalyn and Maria) were heard as the gang leader held Natasha tight against him and pointed his gun at her head, causing her to cry.

"Like I said, anything else?" the thug angrily raised his voice to Maria.

"Let her go." The agent sternly instructed. "Please…just let the child go and I will give you whatever you want."

The lead thug eyeballed her and gripped Natasha harder. Natasha cried again and tried to wriggle out of the thug's arms. The man shot a rage-filled look at the six year old, who whimpered in fear.

_Bruce, you better Hulk out now!_ Maria silently prayed. And she got her wish. No sooner than she hoped for it to be true, a loud roar was heard and then something came crashing into the dining room. When the dust from the now broken wall cleared, the gang and the patrons all gasped in shock and awe: it was the Hulk! The patrons began to scream and panic at the site before them as they scurried toward the nearest exit. The thugs immediately opened aired at the behemoth as he charged toward them, easily deflecting the bullets and swatting away those who were unfortunate in his path.

"Adalyn, Marcus! Get Ty and yourselves out of here!" Maria shouted to her friends. The woman nodded and quickly scooped up her son. The couple and their child dashed toward the emergency exit and out of harm's way.

Maria then quickly scanned the scene and found a lone gun that one of the gang members had dropped. After picking up the weapon, the agent also made sure to take her cellphone and stuck it in her pocket. The Hulk saw the gang leader holding Natasha hostage and bellowed at him before barreling himself toward the man. The thug made a mad sprint toward the closest exit, still holding onto Natasha.

"Hulk! That guy's got Tasha! You try to corner him outside while I call for backup." Maria said to the green beast. She wasn't sure if he understood her, the Hulk was in a blind rage and it seemed that no one, not even a SHIELD agent, was going to get through to him.

He yelled loudly as he continued to chase after the criminal. Maria pulled out her cellphone and hit the quick dial number for SHIELD. After making the page, she exited the restaurant and followed the trail of debris that the Hulk left in his pursuit of the foe. Maria hoped that Natasha was OK and not injured. The last thing the agent wanted was for the little girl to be hurt by not only the thug, but also by the Hulk, regardless of what Bruce told Maria about how his other self saw the child.

Maria managed to not only locate the Hulk, but the thug who held Natasha captive. She saw that the green brute had backed him into a corner. The large creature slowly leered toward the man, growling. With no other options, the gang leader tossed Natasha to the ground and opened fired at the Hulk. But the bullets merely nicked his tough, thick skin and didn't halt his progress. The giant snarled and picked up the criminal and tossed him far away from where the agent, monster and child where. The thug landed with such force from the Hulk's throw that his body bounced as it made contact with the earth, clearly knocking him out and injuring him.

Natasha scurried into the corner and made herself small like a ball as the Hulk was dispatching his foe. Maria rushed over to the shivering girl and held her close. "Natasha, sweetie. It's Maria. You're going to be OK." She said in a soothing voice. The little girl sobbed and started to hiccup from crying so hard. The Hulk then turned his attention toward the agent and child. He eyed the two of them huddled together in a reassuring embrace. Lifting her head, Natasha saw the green giant staring at them.

"Mr. Green!" she cried in relief and ran up to him. She hugged his massive leg with her tiny arms and buried her face into his torn pant leg. As Natasha held onto him, the Hulk placed a large hand gently on her back. Maria could have sworn the green behemoth was smiling, glad to have found Natasha safe and sound. But then a shadowy figure caught Maria's eye as it was coming up right behind a distracted Hulk.

"Halt!" the agent shouted and raised her gun at him.

The figure was in fact another gang member from the ambush at the restaurant. The Hulk had heard Maria's command and saw the criminal pointing his gun at them. Natasha gasped and tightened her grip against the Hulk, who immediately plucked her off his leg. He gingerly placed the child out of harm's way and charged toward the thug. But the man managed to dodge the incoming Hulk and fired his weapon. Maria raced to Natasha's side and had thrown her body over the little girl to protect her from the stray bullet. Just when the agent thought it was going to hit her back, a large shadow covered over the both of them. Maria saw that the Hulk had sheltered her and Natasha from the bullet, which barely made a dent on him.

Maria and Natasha looked up at the massive creature with wide eyes. He snapped his head back to the thug, to which he screamed at the criminal and repeated the same action from before. The Hulk tossed the thug in the same direction the leader went in and landed with the same painful thud. He then returned to Maria and Natasha's side and got on his knees to get a better view.

"Ria protect Tasha." The Hulk told the agent. "Protect Tasha like Hulk."

All Maria could do was nod in response. Natasha looked up at the large green brute with a thankful grin on her face. "You did good, Mr. Green." The little girl said to him.

The sound of several cars pulling up caught Maria's attention and see saw that her backup from SHIELD had arrived. Several men clothed head to toe in SWAT-like gear formed a line and raised their weapons to the Hulk. She left Natasha's side and got up, raising her arms in surrender.

"Lower your weapons. We are safe." Maria told the group.

"Sorry Agent Hill, it's for your own safety." One of the masked men called to her and fired a tranquilizer dart at the Hulk.

The Hulk shielded Natasha but Maria jumped in front of the dart and it landed on her body. Knowing the dosage in the dart was enough to subdue the giant, Maria quickly yanked it out, wincing. The concoction of sedatives then began to take ahold of her, making the agent drowsy. Maria fell to the ground, trying to stay conscious.

"Miss Maria!" the child screamed and ran to her side. Barely able to stay awake, Maria saw the worried on Natasha's face.

"I'm fine…I'll be OK." Maria slurred as she began to black out. The last image she saw before the drugs took over was a small smile the six year old gave to her.

* * *

She awoke to an all-white surrounding. _Where am I?_ Maria let her eyes adjust to the bright light that filled the room and realized that she was back at SHIELD's headquarters. Lying in a hospital bed in the sick bay, Maria grunted as she was beginning to wake. She then turned to her left and saw Natasha on the bed next to her. The little girl was sitting up and playing with her toy hawk Clint Jr., along with Tony who was watching her. The two saw that the agent was awake and smiled.

"Miss Maria! You're OK!" Natasha happily cried.

"Good Morning, sleepyhead." Tony greeted.

"How long was I out?" Maria said as she got her bearings together.

"Most of the night. You should consider yourself lucky, that tranquilizer's mixture for the big guy was enough to kill an ordinary human. You pulled out that dart in time." Tony explained. "Too bad about that dinner date, huh?" he quipped, hoping to lighten the mood.

Maria gave the billionaire a miffed look, but at least she and Natasha where fine. The agent then sat up in her bed. "You OK, Natasha?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm OK. I was scared, but I had you and Mr. Green protecting me."

"Speaking of Mr. Green, how he doing?" Maria asked Tony.

"He's fine. From what I was told, the big guy almost put up another fight after you go hit by that dart meant for him. Thankfully, I showed up and calmed his happy ass down long enough for the paramedics to bring you and Natasha back here."

"Is it safe to see him? Is he…" Maria paused, not sure if Bruce was back to being Bruce or he was still the Hulk.

"Bruce is back, so it shouldn't be a problem. You're not thinking about going to see him now, are you?"

"I'd like to, but you know how those doctors and nurses are."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Tony said as he eyed the door. "But I think I can buy you some time, if you're up to it." Maria saw the sneaky glare on Tony's face. Always the troublemaker.

"Promise me you won't give the staff a hard time."

"What, us? Give anyone a hard time?" Tony said in a sarcastic mocking tone. "You jest, Miss Hill."

"I'll make sure Mr. Tony won't cause any trouble, Miss Maria. But I can't make any promises about me." Natasha said, giving the agent a sly grin equal to Tony's.

It appeared the six year old had taken lessons in Tony Stark's school of being a smart ass. Maria smiled at them and carefully got out of the bed. Still slightly disoriented from the tranquilizer (but otherwise fine), she quietly left her room. As she made her way down the hall, Maria knew exactly where to find Bruce. The organization had implemented that some sort of containment be built for the Other Guy, unhumorously nick-named the De-Hulk Cage by the scientist. He always hated it, as being put in a cage reminded him of his early days when he was first dealing with his condition. Begrudgingly, Bruce accepted the prison; it did provide some nuance for him to be away from those he could possible hurt (and be alone).

When she arrived, Maria was glad to find the doctor was back to normal. Bruce sat in the middle of the room, head down as he fixed the thin cotton blanket he had draped on his shoulders. Maria could see that his ripped khakis where now too big for his skinny frame and they hung just below his waist. Bruce's body was riddled with dirt, sweat and nicks his received during his time as the Hulk. The door to the room was unlocked and Maria entered. She stood quietly in front to him for a moment. Bruce saw her feet and slowly looked up at the agent. His face was in the same shape as the rest of his battered body, glistening with sweat and dirt that matted his tousled dark brown hair. However, Bruce's face had an expression of exhaustion and being miserable.

"Hey." He said to Maria. "Hey" she said.

Bruce placed a hand on the back of his neck and rubbed it slightly, a sign he felt awkward. "How are you feeling?" Maria asked him.

"Fine, given what has happened."

"Do you…remember anything?" Maria knew that Bruce had selective memories when he became the Hulk. She was curious about what they were.

He waved his hand slightly. "Not very well. Did I…" he began to say, but stopped himself, not wanting to admit his worst assumption: harming either Maria or the juvenile Natasha.

"No, you didn't cause any harm to Natasha or me." Maria reassured Bruce quickly for it was a fear they both shared.

"Really? Thank God." Bruce sighed. "I really screwed things up, didn't I?"

"The dinner date, yes. But you shouldn't concern yourself over some trivial. You actually stopped a gang of thugs from harming a crowd of people. Can't say for the gang, though." The agent said and cracked a humorous smile. Bruce chuckled. "I do remember that." He became serious once more. "Maria…how was he toward you? I know you aren't exactly his number one fan."

Maria was quiet for a moment. "He saw me protect Natasha after the gang leader let her go. And then he shielded the both of us from being hit by a stray bullet. That idiot almost started another brawl after I got hit with a tranquilizer dart meant for him!"

"The Other Guy…protected you?" Bruce asked in surprise. Maria nodded slightly and then shook her head in disbelief.

"I always hated him you know. The way that…thing looked at me with his eyes so full of hate the last time I met him. Bruce, your other self scares me. But tonight I learned that he isn't dumb as he appears to be. The Hulk, while driven by an almost pure, animal-like instinct…does care about those he holds dear." Maria knelt and she and Bruce where eye to eye.

"Bruce." She said, but found it difficult to come up with the right words. She shifted a little and then wrapped her arms around Bruce in a tender embrace. He was taken aback by Maria's affection toward him.

"Maria?!" he stammered. "Shut up, Bruce. Don't ruin the moment." The agent chastised. Maria realized that it wasn't just the Hulk's own awareness about Maria. She knew that Bruce also cared for her just as much and somehow the beast sensed it.

Still in shock over the suddenly display of adoration from her, Bruce ultimately returned the warm embrace. From what he could gather from the jumbled memories, Bruce saw that Maria did indeed protect Natasha. He also recalled the child's nervous expression over the agent when she was hit by the dart. The rage that had come over him was unspeakable, but it was with good reason. Bruce knew that Maria was a trusted friend willing to put herself over not only him and Natasha, but for just about anyone who she thought was worthy of her reliance…even if it was a person she deeply loathed. And the Other Guy finally understood.

For a long time, the two friends held each other in that loving embrace. It was comforting for the both of them. Bruce and Maria where both glad the other was OK, that Natasha was OK. But now the two realized that they had each other's backs and where willing to protect one another, even if it was going to cost their lives.

Tony found them like that when he went to go check up on Maria. Natasha had gone to bed and Tony was going to offer Maria a ride home. He would have made a comment about how his friends where no dating, but Tony held his tongue. He was glad to see Bruce and Maria where able find someone who they could depend on and care for.

…_How can you say_

_I go about things the wrong way_

_I am human and I need to be loved_

_Just like everybody else does_

The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?


End file.
